Watch: This ultimate Damian McKenzie schoolboy highlight reel shows that he ticked every box as a 10 prospect
Blazing speed, great footwork, clinical passing, no fear running, a 60-metre leg, ability to kick off both feet, and hyper-aggressive defence.
Damian McKenzie had it all as a schoolboy rugby player, all of which made him a 5-star flyhalf prospect for Christ’s College in Christchurch.
Watch this incredible 9-minute highlight reel to find out what made McKenzie such a highly regarded prospect, which he has delivered on as a professional player by becoming an All Black.
The incredible talent was scouted and snapped up by the Chiefs, who lure the brilliant 10 to the Waikato from under the nose of the Crusaders as a schoolboy.
It took McKenzie just two years to go from New Zealand schoolboy to Super Rugby star, becoming one of the most coveted talents in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 19-year-old committed to a long-term deal with Chiefs in 2014, quickly becoming one of the cornerstone players of the franchise.
”While I was training with the Chiefs I learned so much and really enjoyed the coaching staff and the culture, so I am rapt to be given this opportunity,” McKenzie said at the time.
”The boys are very welcoming and I know I will enjoy being part of the Chiefs family.”
The Chiefs will be chuffed that the decision to go after the young 10 early has paid dividends, with McKenzie representing the club 78 times. At just 25-years-old, McKenzie is sure to be apart of the Chiefs for years to come.
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Its a great way to clobber the credibility of a competition....
Go to commentsGreat article. Very well expressed and I loved the part about the ravens leaving the tower. I suppose what's really changed is the advent of professionalism whereby the Six Nations teams are as fit, or fitter, than the Southern Hemisphere sides, which hasn't happened regularly until recently. Southern Hemisphere coaches like Cotter, Jones, Schmidt, Gatland and even Hansen with Wales have added immeasurably to our knowledge pool also. If one were to pick the best team in the world right now, you'd surely think Etzebeth, Koiebiete and Malherbe. But you might just think Dupont, Capuozzo, van der Flier and Beirne before them. That would never have happened when the GOATS McCaw and Carter were around. Happy days and sets the scene for a great tournament where sharp-beaked hawks look set to battle it out with the ravens for supremacy of the tower!
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